Re: several messages

Hi Ian,

On Feb 18, 2009, at 6:56 PM, Ian Hickson wrote:
> On Wed, 18 Feb 2009, Robert J Burns wrote:
>>
>> In terms of the 'img' element, HTML5 should properly specify error  
>> handling
>> for document that include 'img' elements with content.
>
> It already does, both for the semantic processing and for the  
> rendering.

OK, I'm fine with that. HTML5 has specified error-handling for the  
'img' element. I guess it is not an issue then. But you began this  
particular thread with an example of an 'img' element which you  
claimed was a compatibility problem in that alternate text for the  
image might either be expressed as the value of the 'alt' attribute or  
in the contents of the element. If the error handling already covers  
this case, then it isn't a compatibility problem. If you're still  
concerned about compatibility problems, then maybe the error-handling  
is still insufficient.

While XHTML2 does not address the error handling from their end, HTML5  
addresses the error handling, as usual, by undermining the  
accessibility capabilities of HTML. XHTML2 should specify error  
handling for this case, but I don't think HTML5 should be again  
slighting accessibility needs.

While you can just say ignore the content of an 'img' element even if  
an author took great pains to add semantically rich fallback content  
for the image, and instead display the value of the 'alt' attribute or  
display nothing at all (if the author only provided alternate text as  
the contents of the element), this is really just a slight to the  
accessibility oriented author and the user who may need that content.  
So yes you have done the minimum necessary to specify error-handling  
for HTML5 in this case, but only by ignoring part of the problem and  
the needs of the accessibility community.

Take care,
Rob

Received on Friday, 20 February 2009 03:57:53 UTC